I Need | He Provides: The Garment
The first time anyone ever thought ‘what will I wear’ was in the Garden of Eden. No, you won’t see it written in the Book, but you can assume that’s what crossed Adam and Eve’s minds when they found the nearest tree leaf to cover themselves with. “Oh no, we are naked. Why are we naked. I feel shameful — what will we cover ourselves with?” Since then, it’s been a question that we’ve long asked ourselves and have long wondered.
Clothing is a hot topic in the church; it’s also a hot topic outside of the church. We need clothes for work, clothes for sleep, clothes for going out, clothes for staying in, clothes to swim, clothes to hike, clothes to wear under our clothes… Truthfully, even the minimalist needs clothes, no matter how few they say they need. When our clothes wear, we have to replace them. When they get too small, we have to replace them. When they get too big, we have to replace them. In some cases, we might save them to pass them down to others. In any instance, the truth remains: we have a need for clothes.
Why is it, though, that we can look through all that we own and say to ourselves, ‘I have nothing to wear’ even though that’s not true? I’ve always wondered why that is, so I had a thought: what if they’re the clothes we want but not the clothes we need. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been invited to a formal event only to look in my closet and realize I had tons of clothes, but none that I needed. Twice in my life thus far, I’ve run into this dilemma and found myself asking ‘what will I wear?’
In the book of Matthew, we read the Parable of the Wedding Feast:
A king prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When everything was ready, he sent his servants to get everyone who’d been invited. The invitation; however, was rejected. He sent the servants out again to share that the banquet they were waiting for was ready, but the invitation was rejected still.
In anger, he sent out his army to destroy the town, then he told his servants that the people who were invited weren’t worthy to attend the banquet. The king instructed them to go out to the street corners and invite anyone they see, so they did. Everyone they saw accepted the last-minute invitation, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. The king was overjoyed, but when he came to greet the guests, there was a man who was not wearing proper clothes. Friend, how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? When asked about his attire, the man gave no reply. The king immediately called to his aides and had the man removed. For many are called, but few are chosen. Jesus explains that this story can illustrate the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 22:1-14]
The king knew that the invitation was sudden. He knew that the guests in his home were not prepared in advance. He also knew that there was a great feast to share, and whether they were initially invited or not, he wanted them to partake in it. Why was it that the king was curious about the man who wasn’t dressed properly? We can assume a great number of things about the man’s situation and his reasoning. Maybe it was all he had, maybe his home was a long way from where he was found, maybe he really wanted to be there and went straight from where he was… all valid reasons. Still, why didn’t the man give an answer? It didn’t have so much to do with his clothes, but his heart. He didn’t give an answer because of where his heart was at that moment. He was too worried to give an answer, no matter how honest.
When we are called and chosen by God, we are always called and chosen in the Spirit. Because He knows us, there’s no immeasurable expectation to show up as something we are not. Like the title of a classic Nirvana song, God says, “Come as you are” — this is His invitation to the wedding feast. Of course, we’d want to come looking our very best to show how worthy we are of the invitation, but our garments didn’t determine our worthiness when we were invited, so why should they now?
When Jesus called to the disciples, they dropped their nets immediately and followed Him. No questions asked, no second-guessing, they accepted the invitation to walk into a new life. We can also see similar examples in the story of David, Maphobisheth, Abraham, Naomi, Jael, Esther, Gideon, and so many others. What they were dressed in is the only garment that we all must have on to keep us covered: faith that comes by Righteousness. [Job 29:14; Matthew 4:18-21; Hebrews 11:39-40].
Faith is righteousness in Christ. Faith is obedience in Christ. Faith is the complete acceptance of the Word of God in our hearts. Faith is a gift, and it comes from God. It comes by the way of Jesus, who is the Living Word and only Son of God. He died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected to life. When we accept those things and walk with Christ, our old life is gone, and we are born again in the Holy Spirit. [John 14:1-14; Romans 8:28-30; 2 Corinthians 5:2-5, 14-18]
The Spirit, then, clothes us in spiritual garments. They will never tatter, become too small or big, or be removed. They are perfect because the righteousness of Christ makes us worthy. [Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 11:29; Mark 11:22; John 14:16]
